News to Digest

By
Erin

Februrary is famous for one particular amorous night, but local restaurants have found plenty of other reasons to cook up a feast next month. If you only have eyes for Valentine's Day, rest assured that we'll pick out a few top choices for celebratory dinner within the next few days. Also this week, a hybrid of flavors hits Centreville and a new wine shop prepares to open near Logan Circle.

Cassatt's, the Kiwi restaurant in Cherrydale, celebrates New Zealand's Waitangi Day on Wednesday, Feb. 6. The three-course dinner with live Kiwi music features several options like cockles chowder, chicken satay, barramundi and a lamb chop for $32.95 per person. On a side note, the restaurant is celebrating its fifth anniversary this week by giving 25 percent off the dinner bill through Jan. 26 to anybody who says "25 for Five."

Ceiba gets into the spirit of Carnavale from Feb. 1 through 5 with specialty cocktails and masks and beads to heighten the mood. Meanwhile, Acadiana, Ceiba's sister restaurant and a culinary tribute to Louisiana, nods to Mardi Gras with five days of jambalaya, gumbo, pistolettes and cocktails.

Central Michel Richard also marks Mardi Gras with a themed dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 5. The a la carte menu will offer turtle soup, crayfish gumbo, jambalaya and beignets along with Louisiana beers, plenty of cocktails, music from the Johnny Artis Band and, of course, beads.

The Source highlights Chinese New Year with a special tasting menu on Feb. 7. The seven-course dinner, which costs $100 per person or $175 with wine pairings, features chef Scott Drewno's take on traditional and lucky dishes. The decadent menu includes lobster spring rolls, Hong-Kong-style bass with a vegetable stir fry to represent the five blessings of the new year, noodles with crab, Shanghai lobster, lamb chops, a red velvet chocolate purse and pineapple sticky cake.

Also on Feb. 7, the Roof Terrace adds to the Kennedy Center's Japan! Culture + Hyperculture festival with a unique chef's dinner. The menu includes sushi, beef strip loin with wasabi ponzu sauce and a traditional Japanese dessert. The menu will cost $125 per person. For those who can't attend the kick-off dinner, special Japanese dishes will also be featured in a prix-fixe menu at the Roof Terrace menu throughout the festival for $60. The KC Cafe will also have Japanese dishes like gyoza, rice bowls and bento boxes through Feb 17.

Finally, Feb. 7 is the reopening date for Charlie Chiang's Ping in Shirlington. The restaurant will feature a 20-seat bar with sushi and a new menu of primarily Chinese dishes.

Soon to Come
Cork DC, the wine bar and small-plates restaurant in the former Sparky's space on 14th Street opens to the public on Jan. 29.

Now OpenAlto Plaza opened this week in Centreville with a menu of nuevo Latino, Southwestern and Mediterranean flavors. The space features a piano bar and lounge area with a casual menu of sandwiches, salads and South American dishes, while the upstairs dining room serves Spanish- and Latin-inspired takes on lobster thermidor and steaks.

Cork DC has a very, very long way to go. The service is below par and the menus are confusing. Whatever you do, don't let them sit you in hovel that is the rear room adjacent to the kitchen. It's hot, loud, the lighting is really, really harsh.